On January 1, 2012, the City Council of the City of Des Moines approved the recommendation supporting the selection of Woodland Heights as one of the five neighborhoods to participate in the Charter Neighborhood Program. Neighborhoods selected for the pilot program are required to work with city staff as well as graduate students from Iowa State University’s Department of Community and Regional Planning (ISU Planning Team) to update their respective neighborhood plans.
The Woodland Heights Organization (WHO), the neighborhood’s representative neighborhood Whitmer Estate National Historic Register association, began the planning process with a survey of the residents of Woodland Heights. The survey was designed, distributed, and executed by members of WHO. They collected a total of 119 surveys, which were then analyzed by the ISU Planning Team. The survey provided a window into the needs of the neighborhood’s residents. It revealed that neighborhood residents are pleased with the quality of the life that Woodland Heights offers. For example, most respondents cited a high perception of public safety, a strong sense of community and education opportunities as qualities of the neighborhood. The survey data also indicates that the residents deeply care about the aesthetic quality and historic significance of the neighborhood. The results of this survey are fully presented in Appendix A at the end of this document.